Shout! Factory releasing Soi Cheang & Johnnie To's Accident on DVD/Blu-ray

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

From the Shout! Factory press release:



ACCIDENT
Starring Acclaimed Actors Louis Koo and Richie Jen
A Film Directed by Soi Cheang

DEBUTS IN STORES NATIONWIDE ON BLU-RAYâ„¢ and DVD
OWN IT ON JUNE 12, 2012 FROM SHOUT! FACTORY

Not all accidents are caused by fate! This summer, get ready for a new breed of action suspense thriller that plumbs and exposes the weaknesses of the human psyche. On June 12, 2012, Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Media Asia, will debut the acclaimed Hong Kong feature ACCIDENT on Blu-ray, DVD and available on digital entertainment platforms. Nominated for a Golden Lion Award at the Venice International Film Festival and a festival favorite at the Toronto International Film Festival, ACCIDENT is a masterfully crafted thriller that combines stylish visuals, edge-of-your seat suspense, and violence. This highly anticipated North American home entertainment release features insightful bonus content and is a must have for Asian extreme action fans! The Blu-ray is priced to own at $26.97;the DVD has a suggested retail price of $19.99.

A self-styled accident choreographer, Brain (Louis Koo, in one of the most compelling performances of his career) is a professional hit man who kills his victims by trapping them in well crafted accidents that look like unfortunate mishaps but are in fact perfectly staged acts of crime. He is perennially plagued with guilt, as the avalanche of memories of his lost wife does not make things any easier.
After one mission inexplicably goes wrong, costing the life of one of his men, Brain becomes convinced that this accident has been choreographed: someone is out there plotting to terminate him and his team. He becomes increasingly paranoid, not knowing whether or not to trust his friends and accomplices.

When he discovers that a mysterious insurance agent named Fong (Richie Jen, Exiled) is somehow related to the last staged accident, Brain becomes obsessed that this man must be the mastermind behind a conspiracy to take him out. To regain his sanity and to save his life, he must stay one step ahead of Fong before he makes his next move. Brain rents an apartment below Fong's, bugs the rooms, then becomes obsessed with the insurance man's comings and goings. Eventually reality and delusion blur, culminating in a wickedly twisted ending.

ACCIDENT Blu-rayâ„¢ and DVD Special Features:

• “Making Of” Featurette
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer (2.35:1)

Special Features Are Unrated
Audio: Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English
2009/Color/87 min.

ACCIDENT (2009)
Directed by Soi Cheang
Produced by Johnnie To
Executive producer: John Chong
Starring Louis Koo, Richie Jen; co-starring Feng Tsui Fan, Michelle Ye, Lam Suet, Han Yuqin, Monica Mok
Screenplay by Kam-Yuen Szeto, Lik-Kei Tang
Cinematography by Yuen Man Fung
Edited by David M. Richardson
Visual effects: Henri Wong
Original music by Xavier Jamaux
Art direction by Silver Cheung, Stanley Cheung
Not rated

[Shawn Francis Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Shawn Francis]

Disregard this post. I put some photos on the wrong thread.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

The more I think about this one the more I like it. It's a very clever film and Louis Koo is very good in it. The right mix of style and substance, a couple of great plot twists, some beautiful camerawork and without delving into spoilerville, some really impressive set pieces that tie into the whole 'accident planning' aspect of the storyline.

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

You should write a review.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

I will. And so should you.

[47lab Guest Find all posts View Profile Close 47lab]

The more I think about this one the more I like it. It's a very clever film and Louis Koo is very good in it. The right mix of style and substance, a couple of great plot twists, some beautiful camerawork and without delving into spoilerville, some really impressive set pieces that tie into the whole 'accident planning' aspect of the storyline.

Definitely agree especially Louis Koo's excellent performance. IMHO, Soi Cheang's Dog Bite Dog was his highpoint as a director until this flick came out. I read all kinds of negative press about the quality of Shout factory's blu ray regarding the PQ & cropping, so I picked up the Media Asia on the cheap during a recent visit to Chinatown.

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

I liked this the first time I saw it, but on the second viewing I kinda started hating it. We've got a bunch of super-intelligent assassins doing carefully mathematically calculated hits which rely 90% on pure luck... Either that, or I missed something.

I wrote a rant list years ago... unfortunately I can't double check any of them as I sold my BD years ago. But below is what I seem to have been most frustrated with. It's gonna be full of spoilers, so do not read if you haven't seen the film.

1) The first assassination is entirely based on the assumption that the victim will come out of his car and remove the shred. It's likely, but far from certain.
2) The second assassination requires a kite to fall from the sky with 30 cm accuracy. With the stormy weather, the kite could fall anywhere within 50 meter radius.
3) One of the team members starts suffering from amnesia in the middle of a mission. What are the chances this would happen? On the other hand, if he was already sick before, why the hell would he be employed by a mastermind criminal whose plan allows zero error margin?
4) Solar Eclipse! The main character is a control freak genius mastermind... and he didn't read the newspapers to be aware of the most talked about happening of the week?
5) The final assassination with the surveillance camera. We can see the camera rotates very fast, and there's only a few cars on the road. The chances that there would a car on the road at the moment when the camera is in the right angle to reflect light and blind the driver (maximum 1 second) are close to zero.
6) Finally, the main character gets what he deserves - he's stabbed to death, because evildoers must not go unpunished. But how the hell did the lawyer even find out about him, when he protects his identity the best he can.